Fake Bishop Who Tried To Sneak Into The Vatican Exposed As German Impostor

With Cardinals in the Vatican for the upcoming papal conclave,
things are a little tense in the Holy See.

Thankfully security was on hand Monday, when a man pretending to
be a bishop almost got into the Sistine Chapel, making it past at
least one step of security.

According to USA Today, the man told people he was called
"Basilius" and claimed he was a bishop in the (non-existent)
Italian Orthodox Church. He apparently managed to convince some
people he was a real bishop, even posing for a photo with Italian
Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani.

However,
USA Today reports that "Basilius had made some simple
sartorial mistakes, such as "wearing a too-short cassock, a black
fedora in place of a clergy's skull cap and a bright purple-pink
sash that turned out to be a simple winter scarf". The Vatican's
security, the Swiss guard, caught the imposter before he made it
in.

As he was led away, "Basilius" told reporters that Catholic
bishops had "made a mistake by moving priests" who were accused
of pedophilia around different parishes,
according to AFP.